Anger after Tory MP uses own staffer to show it's possible to live off £30k, go on holiday and not use food banks

19 January 2023, 15:39 | Updated: 19 January 2023, 18:17

A Tory MP has controversially used his staffer as an example of a person who can get by living in London on less than £30,000 a year.

Lee Anderson shared a photo of his parliamentary researcher Katy as he said anyone earning more and using a food bank must have a budgeting problem.

But a Labour MP accused him of "harassing" the staffer, who appears in a photo on Twitter smiling at her desk.

Mr Anderson, who was dubbed "30p Lee" for past comments that people could get by eating very low-price meals, wrote with the photo on Twitter: "Katy works for me. She is single & earns less than 30k, rents a room for £775pcm in Central London, has student debt, £120 a month on travelling to work saves money every month, goes on foreign holidays & does not need to use a foodbank.

"Katy makes my point really well."

Sharing a Mirror story about fellow Conservative MP Simon Clarke accusing nurses of not budgeting properly, Mr Lee had written earlier: "The point here is that ANYONE (not just nurses) earning *MORE* than 30k, & are using foodbanks must have a budgeting problem.

"I have constituents i.e armed forces, bin men, bar staff, care workers, bus drivers, pensioners etc who can all live on less. Am I missing something?"

Labour MP Dawn Butler said she had lodged a protest to Parliament's independent complains scheme.

Read more: Tory MP '30p Lee' Anderson filmed swiping hat from Stop Brexit's Steve Bray, labelling him a 'parasite' and a 'scrounger'

"This is a form of bullying and harassment. Whether Katy agreed to this, it is unacceptable to use a young female employee this way. Please delete," she told Mr Anderson.

The Tory MP then posted a graphic which simply said he was "taking a break" from Twitter - but later said he was back, making a joke about breaking off to have some food.

In the past, Mr Anderson, who represents Ashfield, posted a photo of him eating Weetabix to show you can eat a 30p breakfast and said it was possible to make a meal using that amount.

He has made a habit of accusing people who struggle to make ends meet of failing to budget or lacking the cooking skills to whip up a meal from scratch.